Hong Kong (AFP) - A Chinese firm plans to spend $165 million building a full-scale replica of the Titanic -- the doomed luxury liner which sank more than a century ago -- as the main attraction for a theme park, reports said Tuesday.

The original and supposedly unsinkable luxury passenger liner struck an iceberg and went down in the North Atlantic in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.

The famous ship is a subject of immense fascination for many in China.

Little known Chinese energy company Seven Star Energy Investment said the replica, which is expected to cost 1 billion yuan ($165 million), will be the main attraction for a planned theme park located Sichuan, a landlocked province famous for its spicy food.

The replica will be docked permanently on a river, the South China Morning Post reported.

Construction of the ship, which is 270 meters (885 feet) long, is expected to be completed in two years and will be based on designs of the Titanic's sister ship, RMS Olympic.